A high-pitched voice answered the raspy one, “I’ve never been there. Will you let me show him the way to the gate, Mother?”
The voices came from above. Two magpies sat on a branch of the old oak: the one from the witch’s house, plus a smaller one. Why could he understand what they said? He struggled to his knees, straining to hear more.
The larger bird—the mother—shook her head. “I don’t know. It could be dangerous.”
“Please, please, please?” The son hopped on the branch, clicking his yellow beak.
“Okay, but be careful,” the mother said with a sigh. “The gate is hidden at the Stone Forest. The boy has the key. You’ll have to help him open the portal.”
Pavel crashed through the woods. “Theo, what happened? My brother and I thought you were behind us. Now everyone’s out looking for you and Nia.”
“Did you hear that?” Theo pointed to the tree branch.
“What?” Pavel looked up.
“Magpies! Up there.” Theo spoke in a hushed tone.
“The branch is empty.” Pavel shook his head.
“They were there. Talking. Honest.”
“Talking? First the dragon statue speaks to you, now birds. I think you’re making this stuff up.”
Theo stood and, still woozy, leaned against the tree. “They said the gate to Dragon Village is at the Stone Forest.”
“You’re crazy,” Pavel said. “Let’s go help find Nia, not some gate to a place that doesn’t exist.”
“It’s real,” Theo said. “I’m sure it is. That’s where the dragon took Nia.”
“No way—”
“Listen to me.” Theo held his hand out to stop Pavel. He explained what had happened at the witch’s house.
“You’re too gullible.” Pavel shook his head. “She’s insane. You can’t believe anything she says.”
“But what if it’s true?” Theo said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I have to try to find Dragon Village. I’m going back to the Stone Forest.”
“Cat hairballs. Shouldn’t we let the adults look for her—wherever she might be?”
“No, I ...” Guilt ate at Theo. He hadn’t protected Nia. Instead, he’d wished a dragon would capture her, and one had. “I have to make things right.”
“I can’t let you go back there alone. I’ll come, too.” Pavel’s eyes glistened. “Some of my inventions can protect us if that crazy witch comes back.”
***
Later that afternoon, Theo trudged behind Pavel through the narrow passageway, both their backpacks filled to the brim with clothes, food, gadgets, and other necessities. Pine scented the air at the Stone Forest, mixed with earthy traces from the storm. The circle of megaliths cast long shadows like a horde of giants. Grains of color swirled through the rocks, making them look alive.
Theo set down his backpack and the quiver Old Lady Witch had given him. “Let’s find the gate.”
He examined the engraving of the two dragons on the limestone base. It looked familiar. Of course! He hadn’t noticed before because he’d been more interested in the statue. He pulled out a chain from around his neck, removing a silver medallion he’d had all his life. Mom had told him it belonged to someone special—probably his father. Each of the medallion’s seven sides had runes carved into the teeth. Two dragons battling in the center were identical to the engraved ones on the limestone base.
It had to be the key. He laid the medallion over the engraving and gave it a gentle push.
No gate opened, and the dragons didn’t move to reveal a new message.
What else? The answer had to lie somewhere on the dragon.
He poked around the statue. No buttons or levers lay hidden under the dragon’s wings. He stepped away and stared at the creature. Its eyes remained cold and lifeless. Could he reach them? Maybe they held the key to getting to Dragon Village.
“Hey, Pavel. Can you—”
“Waak!” A small magpie perched on the broken stone pillar.
“That’s the son,” Theo said. “He’s supposed to help us.”
Pavel grinned. “Ask him where the gate is. You said you heard him talking earlier today.”
“I did. How else would I have known to come back here?”
“Come on. Try again.”
“Fine.” Theo tore open a packet of sunflower seeds and tossed a few toward the bird. “Where’s the gate?”
The magpie let out a loud caw, flew down, and pecked at the seeds.
“See! He spoke,” Pavel said. “So what did he say?”
“He said, ‘Pavel, I’m going to poop on your head if you don’t leave Theo alone,’ ” Theo replied with a straight face.
The magpie flew overhead. Pavel crouched, covering his hair. He laughed as he straightened. “You got me. He didn’t say that.”
Theo sucked on the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. “No. He didn’t say anything. I don’t know why I heard the birds talk earlier. Maybe because I banged my head.”
The magpie flew to the center of the circle and pecked at the ground. Ping, ping, ping.
“That’s where I fell this morning.” Theo grabbed his backpack and quiver and moved closer. He scratched at the moss. “Do you have anything in your Paveltron that’ll blow the grit out of the crevices?”
“Of course.” Pavel removed the metal object from his backpack, slid the numbers around to get the magic-nine-box sequence, and took out a tool that looked like a straw with buttons. “Try this one.”
Theo clicked a button, and a stream of air cleared away the moss. “Hey, Pavel, look.”
He uncovered an engraving of a seven-sided star, the edges boxy like a cog on a gear. Each end aligned with one of the megaliths. A mosaic of colorful stones spiraled like sun rays around the engraving.
“What is it?” Pavel pushed his glasses up his nose and peered at the star.
“It looks exactly like my medallion.” Theo rubbed the center. “You think it’ll fit?”
“They look the same size. Try it.”
Theo lined up the medallion over the engraving. Glancing at Pavel then back to the engraving, he pressed it until it snapped into place.
Nothing happened. While he waited, waves from far below crashed against the cliffs, the sound both lulling and menacing.
Where was the gate? Did the things the Samodivi gave Old Lady Witch have magic? Theo removed the kaval from his backpack. Runes different from the ones on the medallion covered the instrument.
“Do you think Old Lady Witch really is a blood-sister of the Samodivi?” Theo asked.
“I doubt it since they’re not real.” Pavel laughed. “But play the kaval anyway and see if they come to dance.”
Theo scanned the shadows. “Probably not a good idea.”
“Why? If wild nymphs exist, they’re only girls, and I’m not afraid of girls. Are you?”
Theo shook his head. “Girls, no. Samodivi, yes.”
“Ah, go on. Play it.” He peeked at the statue and grinned. “The dragon will protect us.”
Theo put the kaval to his lips and blew. Breathy sounds accompanied the shrill notes.
Pavel pressed his hands over his ears. “Stop! That’s terrible. Sorry I asked you to play it.”
Sighing, Theo returned the instrument to his backpack. “I guess that’s not the way to open the gate. Let’s see what else we can find.”
“We’re wasting time. We should be looking for Nia.”
“Waak!” The magpie flitted down and pecked at the center of the medallion.
“Get away! You’ll break it,” Theo yelled.
A flash of white light shot from the medallion, making the colored stones around the carving sparkle. Red, orange, and yellow beams of light burst forth, illuminating each pillar.
“What the heck?” Pavel scooted away from the spot.
Theo gaped at the flashing lights.
“Get up, Theo!” Pavel shouted. “This is crazy. Let’s get out of here.”
Theo grabbed his backpack
and quiver and scrambled to his feet.
The wind twirled the lights into a glowing arch like the entrance to a temple. A golden sun flashed on top. More lights formed into two gigantic, three-headed snakes with red eyes. The creatures coiled around the opening, each one grasping a side of the sun with their jaws.
Theo couldn’t take his eyes off the snakes. His body tingled, and sweat trickled down his brow, but he couldn’t move to wipe it away. He shouldn’t have come here. He’d have to find another way to save Nia.
“Move!” Pavel’s shout sounded distant.
The circle of lights grew larger, swallowing Theo.
Chapter 3
Crazy, Winged Woman
A sweltering gale crushed Theo’s body as it sucked him inside a tunnel. Sweat whipped down his face. He squinted, blinded by shooting comets piercing the darkness. Around and around he tumbled like a hamster running an endless race inside a metal wheel, his flailing limbs touching only air. A scream died in his throat, unheard over the roar of the wind. Certain that death was seconds away, he squeezed his eyes shut.
The pressure eased, and the air cooled. His body jerked as he landed on a velvety softness.
Theo opened his eyes to a purple haze. “Pavel, are you here?”
No one answered. Pavel must not have been sucked into the archway. Theo bit his trembling lower lip. He was on his own. But where?
A hissing wind whipped through his hair, scattering the mist to reveal that he’d landed on a white, velvet-lined bench inside an open-topped carriage. On the doors, a marble crescent moon overlaid a blazing sapphire sun. Golden vines, heavy with emerald grapes, twisted around the edge. The vehicle racing through the sky was way fancier than the chariot, Helios, the Greek sun god, rode. Theo opened and closed his mouth like a guppy. Was a god driving this one?
He looked toward the front. His heart beat faster, and he pressed into the seat.
Three massive snakes pulled the vehicle through the sky. Silver scales rippled along their coils. The reptiles glided through the sky as if swimming in an ocean.
Snapping and crackling erupted behind him. Theo twisted around, expecting another beast ready to devour him. A single snake tail whipped through the air, shooting out sparkling silver dust. Only one snake pulled the carriage—a huge three-headed beast!
The serpent changed course and plummeted toward the ground, jolting the carriage and knocking Theo onto the front railing. Wind lashed at his face, stinging his cheeks. He slid to the floor. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tensed and tucked his head to his chest, waiting for the fatal impact.
Thud. The snake-drawn carriage skidded to a halt.
Theo opened his eyes. A net of gray clouds speckled the purple sky. This was definitely not Selo. Where was he? With fingers shaking, he pulled out his phone from a side pocket of his backpack. No signal. No GPS.
His rapid breath drew in humid air. He pressed his hands against the carriage floor to rise. Pain stabbed his palm, and he looked down. His medallion lay next to him. Thankful he hadn’t lost it, he wrapped the chain around his neck and tucked the token inside his shirt.
He stood and surveyed his surroundings. Seven moss-covered columns encircled the carriage. Within their confines, a black fountain took center stage. Water gushed from a spout into a basin.
A squawking black-and-white bird zipped out from beneath the carriage bench and pummeled into Theo, claws sticking into his chest.
Theo shrieked, slapping at the bird. “Get off!”
The bird released its hold and darted toward the pillars. Shaking, Theo collapsed onto the bench, his heart pounding against his chest. The hissing snake heads swayed in unison, coiling toward him. Three sets of ruby eyes glared at him, and three forked tongues spit sparks his way, tinging the air with a smell like firecrackers. The snake lowered its gigantic heads and closed in on him.
The beast was going to wrap him in its coils and eat him!
Theo grabbed his backpack and quiver, leapt over the railing, and backed toward the fountain. The snake snapped its heads to the front of the carriage and glided away, disappearing into the murky sky, a trail of silver dust glistening in its wake.
Behind him, the fountain gurgled. Theo rubbed his tongue over his dry lips as he drew closer. He cupped his hands under the copper spout and drank the cool liquid, swishing it around before swallowing.
A glimmer of light broke the blue of the water, revealing a vision of a girl with curly red hair. She draped a white cloak over her shoulders, then caressed a winged horse. Theo longed to see her face, but her back faced him. A soft fog erased the vision, then an ethereal bird, blazing like fire, rose from the fountain and vanished into the sky.
Theo yelped and stumbled backward. That wasn’t the same bird from the carriage. Was he imagining things? He crept forward and peered into the water again. Only the flow gushing from the spout disturbed its surface.
Pebbles clattered around a column. A magpie swooped to the ground and preened its wings and long tail feather. That must have been the bird hiding in the carriage. Was it the son Theo heard talking in Selo, the same bird that was at the Stone Forest when the portal opened?
The dragon statue had said something about the magpie. He was the key? He had the key? The magpie had shown him how to activate the gate to Dragon Village, but did the dragon’s message have more meaning?
“Is this Dragon Village?” Theo pulled the golden scale from his pocket and held it toward the bird. “Can you help me find my sister, Nia? The dragon Lamia took her.”
The magpie made a loud croaking noise and swung his head from side to side.
Theo clenched his hands. “Why can’t I understand you? How will I find Nia without your help?”
“Waak, waak!” The magpie tossed his head more.
“Does that mean you can’t help or that you’re scared?”
The bird simply hopped around in a circle.
Theo sighed and stuck his hands into his pockets. His fingers touched the package of sunflower seeds he’d fed the magpie at the Stone Forest. The bird hopped closer and made his obnoxious noise again.
“Hungry?” Theo tossed the seeds on the ground.
The magpie devoured them, pecking a moment longer before swiping his beak against the moss. He cocked his head, flying onto the edge of the fountain near Theo.
“Sorry, I don’t have any more.”
The magpie peered into the water. He hopped in circles as if afraid, flapping his wings and complaining with a loud “Waaak, waaaak.”
“That’s only your reflection, silly.” Theo laughed. “You scare easily. I think I’ll call you Boo.”
His stomach gurgled. Pavel had all the food in his backpack. Theo needed food and a safe place to sleep before night fell.
A quick glance around showed him that he was at the top of a hill. Dense fog covered a forest of charred trees that stretched in all directions. Far off in the valley, a silhouette looked like a castle. Beyond that, a mountain loomed, purple mist hovering over its peaks and crags.
This couldn’t be Dragon Village. All the stories he’d heard had described it as beautiful. Why would mystical creatures want to live in this desolate place?
He’d never find Nia by himself here and wished Pavel was with him. Theo looked at the magpie pecking at the ground. Even if the bird couldn’t help, at least he’d be company.
“Boo, do you want to come with me?”
The magpie flew onto Theo’s shoulder and bobbed his head.
“I guess that’s a yes.”
He walked around, parting dense shrubs until he found a stone path overgrown with ivy and wild berries. The steep, winding slope descended into the valley. Theo followed it, resting at a river that slithered around the foothills. Shriveled trees and shrubs lined the bank. A faint, bitter odor seeped from the gray-metallic water. Except for the slurping of the river, everything remained quiet.
This place didn’t feel safe.
The purple haze darkened with the sinking sun as he
plodded toward the castle that sprawled in the shadow of the mystical violet-black mountain. Flashes of lightning split the sky, and black clouds sprinted overhead like chariots.
Only a faint glimmer of daylight remained by the time Theo reached the fortress he’d thought was a castle. His body shook with exhaustion from the long trek, and his throat was as parched as the land. He stopped and rubbed his aching feet. Like everything else, vines shrouded the charred, crumbling wood. The ruined building looked like the stomping ground of ghosts or vampires.
He lumbered toward Boo, who perched in a gap in the gate. Theo squeezed past vines and rusty chains barricading the lopsided doors.
Boo flitted around, landing on a railing on the upper level of the two-story building. When loose boards wiggled, the magpie squawked and flew to the top of a tumbled-down watchtower at the far end of the courtyard.
The fading light reflected on unlit torches set in copper brackets along the inside wall. Theo waved his hand in front of his nose to scatter the scent of burned rags. He rubbed soot off the base of a torch. Underneath the grime was an engraving of a crescent moon over a sun—the same symbol that had decorated the carriage doors. This must be where the people who owned that vehicle lived, but where was everyone?
“Hello. Anybody here?” he shouted.
“Heeere ... heeere,” his echo responded.
A door creaked.
Theo shambled closer and tested the stone steps leading to the porch. They didn’t jiggle, so they seemed safe enough to walk on. He took small steps across the scorched wooden floor, but hesitated at the threshold, listening. Nothing stirred inside. He tapped on the frame.
“Hello, anyone home?”
No one answered.
Should he go in and look around? It felt like entering the set of a horror movie. Creepy music played in his mind. He hesitated. He didn’t want to sleep outside, so he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The stench of burned hair and flesh made him gag. Charred remains of a half-eaten creature smoldered in the embers of a fireplace. Bones and bloody pelts lay strewn across the room. He had to get out of here now. This wasn’t safe. Covering his mouth and nose, he shuffled backward, but bumped into a table. Bones rattled, as if coming alive, as they hit the floor.
The Unborn Hero of Dragon Village Page 4